Meetings 2019 – Rippingale Parish Council

January 2019

Approved Minutes of a Meeting of Rippingale Parish Council held on Thursday 10 January 2019 in the Village Hall

Present: Cllrs C. Charlton (Chairman), S. Goode, E. Field-Lucas, J. Parry, A. Vaughan & S. Warcup.

In Attendance: Michelle Free (Clerk/RFO) & HCS Rep.

Public Forum: The Chairman opened the extended Public Forum and gave an overview of the proposed Budget and Precept, which had been published on the Noticeboard and Website, and invited comments; hardcopies were also issued to attendees at the Meeting:

There were no comments regarding the DRAFT Budget & Precept.
An issue of debris on the A15 and Station Street junction following the recent flailing of the hedges was reported; in addition, no warning signs had been displayed. The responsibility of the driver to clear debris from the main road was highlighted. The Chairman agreed to report the matter to LCC.

1. Welcome.

279. The Chairman opened the Meeting at 7.09pm and thanked everyone for attending.

280. The Chairman informed the Council that, due to a change in family commitments, Cllr Parry had notified him of her intention to resign from the Council following the February Meeting. The Chairman thanked Cllr Parry for her efforts and everything that she had done to date; the allocated roles to be reassigned at the next Meeting.

2. Apologies for Absence.

281. The apology for absence and reason given by Cllr S. Charlton was accepted by the Council.

3. To receive any new Declarations of Interest.

282. There were no new Declarations of Interest to be recorded.

4. Approve Minutes of the previous Meeting.

283. The previously circulated DRAFT Minutes were presented for approval. It was unanimously resolved to accept the Minutes of the Meeting on 13 December 2018 as a true and accurate record. The Chairman signed the file copy. Clerk to publish.

5. External & Community Group Updates.

5.1 Police, County & District Councillors’ Reports

284. There were no reports available.

285. LCC Highways Parish Walkabout. Following the last Meeting, C.Cllr Hill had arranged a date for a Parish Walkabout. There was limited cllr availability on the proposed date. The Clerk had enquired about alternative dates but was awaiting a response. Ongoing.

5.2 Other Groups & Organisations.

286. Aveland Neighbourhood Plan. Cllr C. Charlton stated that an update would be available following the meeting on 16 January.

287. Feast. Cllr Warcup stated that the next Meeting was being held that same night so he had sent apologies. The date for the Families Day was confirmed as 6 April 2019. The Clerk had received a message from the Feast Chairman for assistance with paying in some fundraising money; the Feast Cttee have a designated Paying-in book for this purpose. Cllr C. Charlton to discuss the banking of fundraising with the Feast Chairman.

288. HCS. The HCS Co-ord confirmed that there were no issues. All but one of the driver claim forms for the Quarter ending 31 December were include in the expenditure for approval at item 9.1.1. (303).

289. VHMC. Cllr Parry confirmed that the next Meeting was due to be held in February, and that she hoped to be able to shadow her Council successor.

290. PCC. Cllr Field-Lucas stated that the PCC would prefer that the installation of the lampposts avoided key dates and events, such as Easter and Feast Fun Day. The Yew Trees adjacent to the War Memorial was still to be pruned. The PCC had given the Council a £50 donation as contribution towards the Churchyard and Cemetery grass cutting and had asked that the Council budget for additional cutting in 2019. The Churchyard was now the responsibility of the District Council and the PCC had requested the contact details. Clerk to action donation cheque and forward SKDC contact details to PCC Churchwarden.

6. Parish Matters.

6.1 JPF Play Equipment Project & Funding Updates

291. Cllr C. Charlton confirmed that the application to the Gosling Foundation had been rejected. The other applications were still pending and an application to a new Government Scheme would be submitted by the end of the month.

292. Cllr Parry confirmed that the updated costings for the interim repairs were still outstanding but would be chased before the next Meeting and hand over. Cllr Vaughan volunteered to take on the project in conjunction with the JPF Maintenance; Cllr Parry gave an overview of the additional CCTV project. The Chairman thanked Cllr Vaughan. Chairman to forward details of additional equipment repair companies to Cllr Parry & Vaughan. Cllr Parry to forward new point of contact details to the short-listed contractors.

6.1.1. Signs & Notices

293. Cllr Vaughan confirmed that he had received an overall quote for the additional signs but had requested a breakdown; an A4 aluminium composite sign was approx. £15. In addition, the sign at the footpath entrance to the JPF from the Station Street/Pinfold Close junction had been removed and required replacement. Item ongoing.

6.2 Churchyard Lamp Posts Faculty

294. Cllr Field-Lucas confirmed that the lampposts were due to be delivered in the next few weeks and would be stored by Cllr S. Charlton pending installation. Weather permitting, the work would be completed within the FY. The sponsor for the fourth lamppost was also confirmed. Item ongoing.

6.3 Grounds Maintenance Contract Review

295. The Chairman confirmed that the amended maps for the LCC verges had been received by the Council and were as discussed at the last Meeting. The Clerk confirmed the contract had been updated to remove the SKDC areas, add the LCC verges, and had been submitted to Environment SK for a quote for the 2019 season; an offer from a resident and cllr to carry out some of the verge cutting needed to be clarified.

6.4 Combined Community Fundraising

295. Cllr Parry informed the Council that, due to the festive season, she had only spoken to a couple of groups and had received a mixed response. Clarification was required on whether the Feast constitution restricted its involvement in shared fundraising activities. Cllr Parry would try and arrange a meeting with more groups. Clerk to forward contact details for the WI to Cllr Parry. Item ongoing.

7. Planning Updates

296. The Clerk confirmed that there were no open applications.

Comments on new Applications

297. Not required. No new applications for comment.

8. Admin Matters

8.1 Clerk Report & Correspondence

298. The previously circulated Report was discussed, and the correspondence was available for inspection. The recent water bills had been estimated and a meter reading was required to clarify the correct bill amount. Cllr Vaughan offered to obtain a meter reading.

299. Both Cllrs Vaughan and Warcup were not requesting reimbursement for their training course mileage. The Chairman thanked both cllrs for their generosity.

8.2 Matters Arising Matrix.

300. Some amendments to the person assigned on some tasks were highlighted. Chairman to update the Matrix.

9. Finance Matters

9.1 FY2018/19 Accounts to date & Independent Check

301. The Internal Auditor had identified no issues with the mid-year audit; the RFO was chasing a written response. Cllr Goode had previously reviewed the online accounts and carried out an independent check on the invoices and bank statements presented at the Meeting. No anomalies or areas of concern were identified.

302. The RFO gave an overview of the previously circulated accounts to 31 December. There were no questions or queries arising.

9.1.1 Approval of Expenditure

303. The previously circulated list of payments for approval were discussed. A difference between the amount on an invoice and list of payments was identified. The RFO clarified that the invoice amount was correct; Cllr Field-Lucas amended and initialled the payments list. The Council rejected the option to join the LALC Annual Training Scheme but unanimously approved the remaining payments. The Glendale invoice was still awaiting the back sheet so remained unauthorised. Cllrs Parry and Field-Lucas signed the payments sheet. Clerk to action the approved BACS payments.

9.2 Approval of FY2019/20 Budget & Precept

304. The DRAFT Budget had been updated following the last Meeting, including an estimate for the LCC grass cutting, and had been previously circulated to all cllrs and published on the Noticeboard and Website; hardcopies were available at the extended Public Forum held prior to the Meeting. No comments or issues regarding the budget had been received. The Council unanimously approved the FY2019/20 Budget and Precept. The Chairman thanked the RFO for her efforts with the Budget. Clerk to publish and circulate the approved budget and notify SKDC of the requested Precept.